The Long War
by Kyle2
Summary: A surprise attack by the Romulans devestates the Klingon Empire, but who is behind the new Romulan militancy. Read and see. Then review it please . Chapter Five is now up. Hope you enjoy it.
1. Ambush

The Long War  
Prologue: Ambush  
The Klingon-Romulan border, one of the most restive borders in known space. Both nations were famous for the art of the surprise raid, and they had been practicing on each other for decades. Today would see a major change in that status-quo; today the borders would be destroyed. The only question is...whose?  
  
"Fleet Commander H'rek, all ships report ready." An elderly Romulan officer glanced down at the Centurion who had dared to interrupt his thoughts. All thoughts of reprisal vanished from his mind as he realized the import of what had been spoken. He stood up. In his younger days, he had been one of the Empire most famous warriors, but he was still impressive, even in his dotage. He began to speak, not just to his crew but to the entire fleet, not just the visible but also to those hidden in cloak like his flagship.  
  
"Warriors of Romulus. Today we stand ready to write a glorious new chapter in the epic of the Romulan people. Today we will begin the task of wiping out the barbarians who dare call themselves warriors. We will teach he Klingons the true meaning of battle. It will not be a lesson they enjoy, for it shall be taught in the blood of their dead. Victory is our goal, and victory we shall have. To accomplish this all of you must give your best, and you will, and together the Romulan people will rule the galaxy. Battle stations. Prepare for combat, fire on my orders." A rustle could be heard as crewers and officers calmly prepared for battle. There was no doubt: they would prevail.  
  
  
General Voftik glared at the empty space before him. It was his duty to guard the Romulan border. He had been given a small group of warships to fulfill that duty. Several of his B'Rels had detected Romulan ships heading directly for the B'H'Tir system, so he waited. Today would be a glorious battle. "Sir, the dogs approach. They will drop from warp in five minutes."  
  
"Ahh, it is hard to believe that the cowards have grown bold enough to fight. This will be a great battle, much honor will be earned and much Romulan blood will be spilt." He then roared out in a mighty bellow, "To battle stations, we will show the Romulans how Klingons fight!" On those final words a growl went up from every Klingon warrior in the squadron, and then six K'T'Inga heavy cruisers escorted by eighteen B'Rel birds of prey leapt to full impulse and raced forward in a dagger formation, eager to meet and destroy their ancient enemy.  
  
  
On the other side of the systems the Romulans dropped from warp and proceeded on impulse directly toward the advancing Klingons. They would meet in combat near the orbit of the star's fifth planet. "Fleet Commander. The barbarians approach. What are your orders?"  
  
"Surprise is our greatest weapon; we must not squander it. The cruisers will form a standard pyramid formation centered on the enemy. Three destroyers will scout ahead of the cruisers as a screen, four destroyers will cover the flanks and a single destroyer will take position in the rear. Our battleships will then take position behind the cruisers. We will not expose ourselves to our target till I give the word. Pass the word to all ship commanders." The Lieutenant who served as his aide walked to the communication officer and bent over the console passing on the words of the Fleet Commander to be sent to all ships.  
  
The two fleets flew inexorably towards each other, both bent on the total annihilation of the other; there would be no quarter given in this fight. It was to the death. The first move was made by the Klingons. On the order of General Voftik the outer edges of the giant arrowhead formation seemed to peel off and expand as the light ships flew outwards from the core of heavy cruisers in an expanding disk. Then on another command the eighteen ships dove inward and forwards.   
  
Eighteen ships fell like wolves upon the three destroyers scouting ahead of the cruisers. Six Klingon ships attacked each Romulan destroyer. Almost as one, each ship let fire a quick volley of three torpedoes; next, they continued to close and hit the destroyers with massed disruptor fire. After the first run few Klingon ships were even hit, and those hit were only lightly hurt. The same could not be said of the Romulans. Of the three ships targeted only one survived. The first had gone up in a gigantic explosion as the Klingon warships swooped in. The second had died much less spectacularly; it simply broke apart after the first pass by the Klingons. That left only a single lone ship alive, though that was a far too optimistic term to describe floating hulk with minimal life support and nothing else. A single bird of prey made a quick pass and vaporized the ship, solving the problem of what to call it quite easily: wreckage.  
  
On board the bridge of the cruiser "Red Sword," a message was received. "Captain Ferk reports his mission accomplished and request permission to attack the main body." General Voftik considered the request, but he decided not yet. They would wait.  
  
"Signal Ferk he is not to attack the Romulan cruisers. I want him to split his force in half and attack the enemy flankers. He's to leave the tailing ship alone. I don't want him to get blocked off from the main body. Once the flankers are destroyed he's to return immediately! We will win this battle and there will be glory and there will be death, but there will not be needless waste of Klingon life." The old warrior had a ferocious look on his face as he spoke; the look did not disappear, but he did redirect it towards the Romulans waiting in the depths of space.  
  
Ferk was a disciplined warrior. He followed his orders to the letter, or as best as he could. The Romulans reacted to the destruction of their screen by ordering the flanking destroyers closer. So the Klingons only had a single pass before the Romulan destroyers were too close to the cruisers for them to follow. So they did a quick strafing run on two of the destroyers. Torpedo were not used; they would be conserved for the main battle. A single destroyer fell to the massed Klingon ships but the second was too fast. The ship was hit hard but it was able to get into the cruisers fire support range before the Klingons could finish it off. The final two ships didn't even take glancing hits.  
  
The swirling bundle of winged green ships swung back towards the waiting cruisers. Only a single ship had been lost outright. Two more had been hit hard but were still operable. Various other ships had taken superficial damage.  
  
The Klingon frigates formed up with the six cruisers, ready to meet the Romulan force of five heavy cruisers and four destroyers. It seemed obvious to anyone that the Klingons would butcher the Romulans.   
  
The fleet met in an orgy of exploding torpedoes and disruptors. "Concentrate our cruisers on the lead Romulan ship. Have the Birds of Prey finish off the destroyers, then sweep around the enemy flank and hit them in the rear, Commander." Voftik observed the battle around him with glee; his losses had been slight so far. No doubt that would change. But the Romulans would still lose. Four new icons suddenly appeared on his scanner board. As the cloaks fell off the Romulan battleships they opened fire on the unsuspecting Birds of Prey preparing to attack the trailing destroyer.   
  
"Very good." The old Romulan fleet commander observed the battle in silence. The attack had worked even better then suspected. On his command, the four battleships had decloaked and opened fire, decimating the small Klingon ships. As the cruisers and destroyers joined in the frigates were soon wiped from existence. "Damn it! I told him to maintain formation," H'Rek swore vehemently as one of his cruisers exploded from the concentrated Klingon assault. "All ships are to form up around my flagship. Targeting data will be given by us."   
  
Space was bright with energy as Klingon warship burned. The battleships had turned the tide. Already two cruisers were destroyed and a third crippled. "TODAY IS A GOOD TO DIE! And we will take the Romulan vermin with us! I command all ships, RAMMING SPEED." General Voftik gave his final command as a volley of disruptor from the Romulans claimed his life. Three battered cruisers flew forward, one of them colliding full on with one of it's Romulan counterparts. The remaining two had only one target; they flew straight at it, bellowing their death cries over all frequencies. Disruptors glowed white hot as the captains pushed the ships beyond all limits. Torpedo magazines were emptied as the cruisers overloaded the launchers, determined to destroy even a single battleship. The leading cruiser was hit head on by over twenty disruptors from various ships; the rubble flew onwards. Several torpedoes exploded in the debris field saving the final cruiser from destruction.   
  
The four-hundred-meter long battleships shields glowed brightly as disruptors and torpedoes pounded hard against the energy barrier. When the wreckage of the cruiser arrived, it was too much. The shields fell; one of the Romulan cruisers lowered shields to try and save some of the crew. They were promptly hit by a photon torpedo from the lone surviving cruiser and exploded with all hands lost. Klingon warriors bellowed in pride as they saw the cruiser explode, then it was the end. The cruiser slammed into the battleship's side. Both ships went up in a titanic explosion of matter and antimatter as their warp cores lost containment.  
  
The battle of B'H'Tir was over. The Romulans were triumphant, but at a cost. The reduced Romulan fleet moved onward. They fanned out, destroying all spacegoing vehicles and objects of military importance. The economic infrastructure was left intact, though. A chilling site to the Klingons on the planet, because that meant they planned on staying.   
  
Over the single habitable planet of B'H'Tir the Romulan ships floated in orbit. Massive troop ships could be seen leaving the hangars as elite shock troops were beamed down to take control of key facilities and landing zones. Most chilling of all were the messages coming in from all over the border telling almost the exact same tale of destruction and conquest.   



	2. What's to Come

The Long War  
Chapter Two: What's to Come  
"RED ALERT, ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS. PREPARE FOR EMERGENCY DEPARTURE. CAPTAIN KIRK TO THE BRIDGE. REPEAT, ALL HANDS." A hand slapped down on the wall-mounted communicator, and a calm voice spoke over the din of alarms wailing in the background.  
  
"Uhura, this is Kirk. I'm on the way. Over." The aging brown haired captain then took off at a run to a nearby turbolift. Crewers were already beginning to fill it, but when they saw the captain barreling through they let him pass. In a few seconds he had made it to the bridge. His first words as he stepped on to his bridge were, "somebody turn off the damned alarms in here." In an exasperated voice, he asked, "What the hell is going on? We're in Spacedock!" He finished in a slightly more humorous tone, "Don't tell me someone else is trying to steal a starship."  
  
The black-skinned Commander at communications shook her head and hit a few switches before answering. "No, Captain. It seems the Romulans have invaded the Klingon Empire. Command's worried the conflict could spread, so all ships are being mobilized. We're to prepare to get underway immediately. They want a strong force guarding the borders."  
  
A quick glance at the main screen confirmed her words. Dozens of ships could be seen casting off. There weren't many cruisers, but dozens of frigates and destroyers. As Kirk watched, he saw the cruiser Constantinople's moorings disengage and its tethers float free. Impulse engines could be seen powering up on ships throughout the dock, thrusters firing as ships maneuvered clear of moorings.  
  
Looking at the bridge crew, he noticed that his first officer wasn't there. "Commander, where's Chekov?"  
  
"He's on his way. He was helping Mister Scott with some systems in the hangar bay." Not a second after she finished the sentence the short Russian appeared in the turbolift.  
  
"Sorry, Keptin. I was helping Mister..." He stopped as he saw Kirk had seemingly heard already, probably from Uhura, and was gesturing for him to skip it and get on with his job.  
  
He sat down at the engineering station and began to call up status reports. "Keptin, we are clear to maneuver. All systems read ready." Another minor miracle by Scotty, considering that the ship had been in the process of powering down for a round of minor refits.  
  
"Good. Mister Clerette, ahead one eighth impulse. Watch out for the others. I don't know if we can trust how the other crews handle their ships." The last comment was added with a grin to lighten the grim mood on the ship. No one knew what was going to happen, and that concerned them.  
  
"Captain, incoming transmission from Admiral Morrow. He has our tasking orders."  
  
"Put him on the main screen, Commander. I want to know just what the hell we're doing this for." The stern visage of Admiral Morrow materialized on the main screen.  
  
"Jim, how are you?"  
  
"Not too good. For some reason, some idiot has called an emergency scramble of all ships, and not told me why. Hopefully, you're going to do that now so I don't have to phaser my way into headquarters." He stood and stared at him, waiting to find out what idiocy Command had come up with this time.  
  
"I'm afraid I'm that idiot. I need you to take the Enterprise and several other ships with you to watch the Klingon frontier. We don't want some Romulan commander to decide that he should grab a couple Federation worlds while they're at it. Then there are the Klingons. You never know what they might do, especially when they're losing as badly as they appear to be losing. So we want to discourage any adventuring on the part of either side, and that's why we want you and Enterprise covering part of the Klingon frontier. Sulu and the Excelsior will be on the Romulan border. Don't let them cross the border, but don't start a fight." He gave Kirk a severe look as he said that. He understood completely Jim's hatred of the Klingons, but Starfleet wasn't ready for a war.  
  
"I understand. What ships are going to be assigned to me?" He didn't want to waste time on this; he wanted to get on with the job.  
  
"The USS Constantinople..." that was another heavy cruiser, Belknap class though not Constitution class. "The USS Justinian and Hibernia..." Those two were light cruisers, Ranger class. "USS Stargazer..." a Constellation-class light cruiser. "USS Everest, USS Tokyo, USS Falcon..." all three were destroyers of the Avenger class. "And six frigates, to be decided shortly. I'll let you know when it's finalized. Till then you should have plenty of work to do." With that last comment his shoulder could be seen shifting as he reached over and turned off his comm screen.  
  
Leaning back in his chair, Captain Kirk started to give orders. "Uhura, notify the proper ships that they are under my command now. Chekov, make sure all departments are mission capable. Clerette, ready the helm. Gu've'yi, I want you to run full scale drills on your weapons department." He continued to give assignments and, seeing the nods of everyone around him, Kirk hit a switch on his command chair. "Scotty?"  
  
"Aye, Cap'n. We're ready to go, engines are at full and the ship is in top condition."  
  
In an impressed voice he replied with a short phrase now very common. "Scotty, you're a miracle worker."  
  
With an amused sigh, Scotty replied, "Aye, Cap'n. I've been telling you that for years."  
  
With the air of a man suppressing a bubble of laughter, Kirk said, "That you have, Scotty. That you have. Kirk out." With that, he shut off the link.  
  
He pressed another button on his command chair. A familiar southern voice answered it. "Jim, what in tarnations is going on? Everyone's gone crazy!"  
  
"Looks like there's another emergency going on and Starfleet wants us to take care of it. We warp out of the system in an hour or two, so be ready to go. If you don't have something you need, steal it."  
  
"Damn it. I was hoping I could finally get a couple of weeks off. Now quit bothering me, some of us have work to do." With that, the tart southern voice shut off the communicator. Everyone on the bridge breathed an amused sigh. They were used to the Doctor's odd behavior; it was just who he was.  
  
  
USS Hibernia was one of Starfleet's Ranger-class light cruisers. It was not as well suited for prolonged combat as the larger Constitutions or Belknaps, but it still had a respectable punch. Captain Lowe had spent years commanding this ship. It had taken years of hard work and sacrifice, but he now had one of the best-trained crews in Starfleet. Hibernia had spent most of her years guarding the Federations borders from Romulans, Klingons, Orions or just old- fashioned pirates. During that time, they had learned the best ways to capitalize on the ship's maneuverability and how to compensate for her weaknesses.  
  
"Kirk. That should be quite interesting, wouldn't you say?" the Scottish Captain remarked to his executive officer. Captain Lowe was something of a cowboy. His exec had learned to live with it, but it could get tiring at times.  
  
"If you say so, sir. Myself, I'd prefer to just sit on the border for a while, get bored and then head back to Spacedock."  
  
"Now what fun would that be? How are we supposed to prove Scotland's, oops, I mean, the Federation's superiority if we don't blow anything up?" Captain Lowe, often called the Baron, was looking forward to this. The galaxy would soon see what a Scotsman could do. But first he had business to take care of."  
  
"Commander, check all departments. I want to be fully ready for combat when it's time to go."  
  
"Aye, aye sir." Commander Dalton hurried off.  
  
Kenneth watched his XO walk off. Rob was a good officer, but he didn't have the fire necessary to command a ship. He was actually grateful for that; Rob had been invaluable in his position of commanding the ship and getting the crew trained to their present state of ability. Dalton could be seen going from bridge station to bridge station asking questions and speaking to the various officers. Not long after he stood up and spoke.  
  
"Ensign, send a signal to Captain Kirk that Hibernia will be ready to leave the system in less then an hour."  
  
Lowe was impressed. He had expected it to take longer before the ship would be ready to go. He often forgot just how good his crew was.  
  
"Commander, you have the conn, I'm going to go down to Impulse engineering and see how the repairs are holding up."  
  
"Yes, sir. I have the conn. Any other orders, sir?"  
  
"No, commander. I should be back before we leave the system. If not, page me at the proper time." After seeing Rob nod acknowledgement, the Baron walked over to the waiting turbo-lift and left. After the Captain left, the Ensign at communications chimed in with a report.  
  
In a stiff, fresh-from-the-Academy voice, Ensign Smykes reported, "Captain, Enterprise acknowledges our report. I am also monitoring status reports from the other ships of the task group. There appears to be no major problems. All ships report ready to leave the system in about an hour."  
  
"Thank you, Ensign. Continue to monitor all channels." The ensign nodded and turned back to his station.  
  
  
The preparations did take almost an hour, but they were soon ready to go. "Lieutenant Jekins, plot a course to our assigned patrol area and transfer the course to the conn and communications." Captain Kirk sat in his command chair. As always, he looked cool and collected.  
  
"Aye, sir," said the young blonde newly assigned to the Enterprise, replacing Lieutenant Abbit who had been transferred to the USS Aztec.  
  
"Commander Uhura, relay the data to the Task Group and order them to engage on my signal."  
  
"Aye, sir." A slight pause and then, "Confirmations received. All ships report ready." Kirk nodded his acceptance of that, and looked over the bridge, reviewing all stations. The ship was ready. He could only assume the other ships were as equally well prepared.  
  
"All ships, warp seven on my mark." He waited a few seconds allowing everyone to get ready, and then, "MARK." With that word, fourteen Starships left the solar system in a streak of rainbow colored light.  



	3. Armageddon Front

The Long War  
Chapter Two: Armageddon Front  
  
The Klingon Homeworld. A majestic world of massive monuments and ancient buildings, it was capital to one of the quadrant's great powers. A planet soon to wiped from the list of habitable worlds.  
  
"High Chancellor, the fleet is assembled. We await your command." The words were heard on the inner command center of the Klingon flagship Quo'noS One.  
  
"The plan is simple. You will lead the right flank; General Triq will command the left flank. General Kang will command the screen and I will lead the main formation. Do you understand, General Kor?" The Klingon Chancellor was an aging man with a regal demeanor, wearing an imposing suit of dark red. His eyes searched the face of Kor and found no fear or insubordination, only the determination to fight to the end.  
  
The ships of the Klingon Empire had been defeated in battle after battle as the Romulan invaders poured across the border. The decision had been made; they would make one glorious stand and wipe the Romulan invaders off the face of the Klingon Empire or perish trying. It wasn't a subtle plan, but a very Klingon plan, and one that could very well work.  
  
"I understand. Their fleet approaches, I will prepare my ships. Today is a good day to die." With that the battered face of Kor vanished. In the inner reaches of the Klingon home system a massive battle fleet took form. Over a hundred cruisers made up the central formation, with another two hundred frigates flitting among the large cruisers. This was a great sight; rarely was so much firepower gathered in one place. It was a sight to make a Klingon howl with pride. This group was not alone, though; three more fleets of similar composition made up the screen and flanks. Another four hundred winged frigates disappeared into cloak.  
  
The main fleet would proceed decloaked; it was next to impossible to command such a large force when invisible to most sensors. To meet this armada of Klingon war craft were two hundred cruisers to the five hundred of the Klingons'. Four hundred destroyers guarded the flanks to stop a thousand Klingon frigates. The advantage would seem to go to the Klingons, if not for the sixty battleships clustered inside the Romulan fleet.  
  
Across the vastness of space the two foes saw each other and took aim. Commands were given and the two fleets flung headlong at each other, both bent on the complete annihilation of the other. The Romulans made the first move.  
  
One hundred of the small destroyers broke from the main body and dove straight at the tightly packed Klingon ships. The Romulans flew even closer together; those few small frail ships would usually last only seconds against the crushing weight of the Klingon ships. But this time the tight formation allowed them to link shields and create a single giant shield protecting all of the ships.  
  
The possibility of joining the shields together had been known of for centuries, but in practice most considered it next to impossible. The formation had to be of incredible tightness and of perfect synchronization. The training soon proved worthwhile, though, as the tightly massed ball flew onwards. Disruptors and torpedoes snarled in from the outer ships but caused scant damage.  
  
On command the hundred small ships moved almost as one, with the tight professional precision that was the trademark of the Romulan Empire. The ball spread out in to a massive concave disk formation. That formation vastly weakened the shielding of the destroyers, but it also allowed every one of the ships to have a clear shot straight at the heart of the central Klingon ships.  
  
Space boiled with energy; every single ship let loose at once with a massive combined burst of plasma mortars. A hundred glowing mini-stars filled the space ahead of the Klingons. They had no room to maneuver and when the massive blasts hit, three dozen ships vaporized almost instantly, almost fifty ships were disabled and the remainder were damaged, many heavily.  
  
Damage alarms screamed on the cruiser Quo'noS One. The High Chancellor could barely be heard above the din. "Contact General Chang, order him to press the attack, hit this group of ships first, then pick off the rest of the destroyers!"  
  
The message was sent, but no response was given nor expected. The effect was soon seen though as the entire Romulan destroyer group that had just struck such a telling blow exploded in massive fireball as four hundred torpedos came out of nowhere, then another volley, then a third. The third volley was largely overkill; only a few crippled ships were left before they hit. Not a single ship was left alive after the fireballs had cleared.  
  
The fury of that short battle was echoed in the face of High Admiral Jehrt, on his flagship the battleship Avenging Fire. "What happened? We detected no ships. How could they do this?!" Jehrt screamed at his advisors. None were foolish enough to answer. They knew he was only searching for an excuse to vent his rage on someone he could see.  
  
"Lord Jehrt, I have a report from combat central. They believe the Klingons used cloaked ships and were somehow able to fire from within the cloaking field. They do not know how," a timid Centurion said as he delivered the report to the High Admiral.  
  
Before Jehrt could reply, his ship was suddenly rocked from several torpedo explosions. "My displays show no ships. Order all vessels to change to defensive formation and to sweep the surrounding space with torpedos."  
  
"As you order, My Lord, but we don't have enough launchers to saturate such a huge area, and even if we did we'd soon exhaust our torpedo supply."  
  
Jehrt just stared condescendingly down at the young sub-officer before answering. "I know this, you fool. We will maintain the bombardment only long enough for all ships to fire eight salvos. That should get the barbarians thinking. We might even get a lucky kill."  
  
When the main Klingon fleet saw the change in the Romulan formation, they ordered all remaining Birds of Prey to attack, not only just those who could fire from cloak. Kang swept in on the Romulans and vomited fire on the lesser Romulans ship, the cruisers and destroyers. Triq's force swept behind the Romulans and engaged the Battleship protecting the Romulan rear.  
  
Kor hit them hard on the flank, ordering all of his ships to ignore the battleships. His cruisers rampaged among the destroyers as they forced their way through the Romulan fleet, bisecting it and then sweeping away to rendezvous with the primary force commanded by the Chancellor.  
  
The Birds of Prey had made life very difficult for the Romulans, but soon enough they began to fall. Not easily and not quickly, but they did fall. They harassed the entire Romulan force as Triq tried to force his way to the front of the Romulan fleet.  
  
Triq was only a third of the way there and yet two thirds of his fleet was gone. The new fleet lead by General Chang had caused immense damage in the first attack, but there wasn't enough of them to continue the attack. Birds of Prey simply didn't have the firepower or magazines to take out more than a few cruisers or a battleship. So he was ramming his way through the Romulans to meet up with Chancellor Gorkon's fleet.  
  
No one truly believed they could destroy the Romulan fleet advancing on them, boasts to the contrary notwithstanding, but it was hoped that they could inflict enough damage to slow the Romulans enough for the fleets on the far side of the empire to reach the home system. Then the Romulans would face a reckoning.  
  
"This is Gorkon to all ships. Discontinue all attacks and prepare to counter attack at point beta." Gorkon's words flooded all Klingon channels. Triq disengaged first, followed by Kor and Kang. The cloaked ships of General Chang covered the disengagement and then headed for the rendezvous point.  
  
Chang's force was proceeding slowly towards the rendezvous point. His job was to cover the other ships and keep the Romulans from counter attacking. So far, it was working. So far. Then it all fell apart. At point beta, a new fleet of Romulan ships suddenly surrounded the Klingon fleet. Twice the size of the first fleet, there were also six examples of a new type of Dreadnought never seen before. The six dagger-shaped ships led the attack and killed, with the help of the smaller ships, every Klingon vessel.  
  
Chang had no choice now; he ordered his ships to sweep the debris for survivors then to abandon the system. The battle was lost. "Warriors of Quo'noS, we have lost this battle but we have not lost the war. We will meet with the rest of the fleet and soon we will have revenge!" His warriors did not reply with words, but with a single cry. A Klingon cry of revenge, and blood.  
  
"Captain Kirk, I have an incoming message on all subspace channels. It's from the Klingon capital system, yet it seems to be from the Romulans." Uhura trailed off; she knew full well what that meant.  
  
Kirk stood quietly, saying only, "On screen." He sat back down in his command chair.  
  
The screen showed the image of a Romulan male dressed in the uniform of a Romulan High Admiral. "I am High Admiral Jehrt. By order of the Senate and the Praetor, I have conquered the Klingon Empire. It is the destiny of Romulus to rule, and we will do so. But before we can rule we must pacify. I am about to teach the Klingon savages what it means to challenge the Romulan Star Empire." The view changed, showing Quo'noS surrounded by dozens of Romulan Battleships, Cruisers and Destroyers. Jehrt's voice then said one word: "Fire." There was no emotion as he said it; no hate, no anger, no sadness.  
  
Every one of those hundreds of ships fired. Plasma mortars, disruptor beams and anti-matter explosives burned the planet apart. A planet that had been green with life was now black and red, the color of death. Where once ten billion Klingons had lived, now ten billion died. The oceans boiled, and the ground burned and melted. A millennia of civilization disappeared. And a trillion Klingons, on a thousand worlds, vowed vengeance.   



	4. The Frontier

The Long War   
Chapter Three: The Frontier  
  
  
"It has been two months since the leveling of Kronos. Starfleet has done little. The Enterprise and the other ships now under my command are now operating on war footing, yet there are no signs that we will be going to war. Many are becoming impatient, myself included. No one wants to a war, but just sitting here and waiting will only dull our edge." Captain Kirk ended his daily log entry, stood up and walked out the door of his quarters.   
  
He had a conference with his departments followed by a comm meeting with his Squadron Commanders. Right now he was handling the duties of Starship Captain, Task Force Commander and Squadron Commander. It was beginning to tire him.  
  
When he reached the conference room everyone had already arrived so he could start right away. He looked up and down the table at the different officers. Chekov at his right was the First Officer. To his left was Scott. Scotty was an interesting case; technically, he outranked Kirk by a few days seniority but he was considered to be third in the chain of command behind Chekov and above Uhura. An action only justifiable by the fact that Scotty wasn't command track and that he was happy in engineering and hated being dragged to the bridge.  
  
Sitting next to Scotty was Uhura representing Communications and Electronic Warfare. Seated next to Chekov and across from Uhura was Lieutenant Commander Whitehall for Scanning. In peacetime he would have been the science officer. Next to Whitehall was Lieutenant Clerette for Helm and across from him was Gu'ye'vi for tactical.   
  
At the opposite end of the table was Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell. Mitchell commanded the battalion of marines that had recently been stationed on Enterprise. With the marines and the increased crew necessary for combat operations, the Enterprise now carried a crew of about eleven hundred. Mitchell was a short, brown-haired man with a muscular build and the speed of a ferret. He was also a cunning and experienced field commander; Command wouldn't have put anything but the best on board Enterprise. McCoy was next to Clerette, while Major Rathel, the second-highest ranking marine onboard, occupied the seat across from him.  
  
Once Kirk sat down, the meeting quickly came to order. It was fairly short. Each officer delivered a quick briefing to the others on the status of their department. It was a tradition Kirk had begun many years ago; this way, he was able to make sure all of his officers were familiar with the duties of the others. This meant they were able to operate smoothly together and could anticipate what each other would be doing and what they needed. He knew that his greatest asset as a captain wasn't his courage or his ability as a tactician; no, it was his ability to take a collection of officers and weld them into a tight, cohesive team. That team was the real reason for the unparalleled successes of his first five-year mission and the continued success of his later missions.  
  
Chekov finished his report on the ship's morale and operating efficiency. As First Officer he was a generalist, not a specialist, and so there was little for him to report on this time. Scotty then spoke on the running of his engines and other ships systems, all operating at 100% of standard efficiency or better. For anyone who had ever served with Scotty before it wasn't a surprise, nor was his need to have the systems in better then perfect shape. It was for this very reason that Enterprise was the best-maintained ship in the Fleet.  
  
The conference continued on as each officer gave a quick report and then answered any questions. It was then Gu'ye'vi's turn. "What has me concerned are these new battleships the Romulans have deployed. If we have to take on one of those things one we'll be severely outclassed. None of our ships, excepting a Dreadnought, has the power to battle on equal terms with a Romulan Battleship. Is there any possibility of getting some Mark V torpedoes? It's the only weapon in our arsenal that I'm sure can hurt a Battleship." The Mark V Heavy Torpedo had been developed several years ago for use on the Federation class Dreadnought. With five times the yield of a standard Mark IV, it was a potent weapon. Unfortunately when the Dreadnought program had been cancelled, so had production of the Mark V. The few Dreadnoughts still in service were all equipped with Mark IVs. A very small amount of the weapons were still kept in storage depots.   
  
Kirk wondered if anyone else had even remembered they existed. He'd send Command an immediate request for as many Mark Vs as possible, and he'd also include a letter to Cartwright asking him to restart Mark V production. "Good suggestion, Lieutenant. I'll forward your comments to Command. Hopefully we shouldn't have any trouble getting some transferred to us." He looked across the table to Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell and nodded slightly. Mitchell noticed his gesture and took the opportunity to stand up, smoothing his dark green uniform and clearing his throat.  
  
"My Battalion, the 345th, is at full strength. Before our assignment to Enterprise we had just completed a stay at the 'Blue Nova' training compound, which is an intense three-week simulated tactical combat exercise. The unit performed acceptably and I foresee no problems with executing any expected mission." That didn't sound very encouraging, unless you knew more about Mitchell. He was the most decorated Field Grade Officer in the Starfleet Corp of Marines. An acceptable from Mitchell was better than a superb from many other officers. "I've already assigned Marine guards to all secure locations. I also have several Platoons assigned as a quick reaction anti-boarding force."   
  
He sat down and Kirk once again took control of the briefing. "Unless there is any more to be said?" He trailed off and looked over the assembled officers. They all signaled their satisfaction in one way or another. "Well then, dismissed."  
  
Most of the officers stood up and left, off to duty assignments for the most part, but a few stayed behind. "Keptin, any word on Mr. Spock? Or Sulu?" That was Chekov, but Uhura and Scotty along with the always-nosy McCoy were right behind him.   
  
"You didn't hear? Sulu and the Excelsior are on the Romulan border, commanding a similar Task Force. Spock's getting the Newton." The Newton was a Constellation class Light Cruiser. "He's supposed to assemble some reinforcements for us and then lead them here. He's going to take command of Squadron One when he arrives." They continued discussing their crewmates for a short time, but Jim had to leave for a meeting with his squadron commanders.   
  
---  
  
"Captain, the Supreme Admiral will see you." The Romulan Centurion led the brown uniformed Captain through the hallways and into a large office. Sitting at the large desk was Supreme Admiral F'Lars, Commander In Chief of the Romulan Military and third most powerful man in the Empire.  
  
"Captain, the Romulan Empire thanks you and your people for their assistance. I am most impressed by your ships and there abilities. Without your assistance the conquest of the Klingon dogs would have been much more difficult."  
  
"Thank you, Supreme Admiral. Together, our two empires can grow and prosper. In time we will rule two galaxies. First we shall dispense of your enemies here. Then we will band together and destroy the Rebellion and restore the Emperor's legacy." Captain Halcon of the Imperial Navy added a small comment in his head; 'and once that is done, we will have no further use for you and the Empire will rule two galaxies...alone.'  
  
The Supreme Admiral was thinking much the same thing. He was in a much weaker position for the moment; even his new ships didn't have the power defeat one of those "Star Destroyers," nor did he have access to the hyperdrive that would make it all possible. But he was working on all of that. For now, though...  
  
"Captain. I'd like to take a tour of the New Territories." This was the official name for the former Klingon Empire. "I think it would be appropriate for one of your Star Destroyers to convey me." His tone left no question; this wasn't a request. It was an order.  
  
"Of course. I'll inform the Ravager to prepare suitable quarters." Halcon was not just the Imperial Representative to Romulus. He also commanded the single Star Destroyer cloaked over the north pole of the planet. "What of Operation Argon?"  
  
"Proceeding. The Federation has decided not to become involved, they also promise to destroy any ship that crosses over the border. Our patrol groups have been quietly herding a large Klingon Force towards the area of the border guarded by Kirk. When the time is right, I'll notify you and one of your ships can observe the battle."  
  
The Empires were already thinking ahead to the next war. They needed to see how well Starfleet could fight as well as how they fought. The Romulans hadn't fought a large-scale battle against the Federation for almost a hundred years. The Empire had never fought them. They both needed better intelligence on this foe.   
  
They had decided to use Kirk as the test since he had twice humiliated the Romulan Empire and was considered the Federation's greatest commander. Operation Argon would be a very important learning experience. Who knows...they might even get lucky and the Klingons would take out Kirk.   



	5. Wave Front

The Long War  
Chapter Four: Wave Front  
  
"Lord Krunj, we are surrounded. The Romulan block any advance towards our   
home systems deeper in the empire. We could make it clear if we cut across the   
Federation border, but the cowardly worms are watching the border. No doubt they   
will attack us without warning if they can. Now that the Romulan Dogs have   
weakened us the Federation will gladly exploit any advantage."  
  
"They are treacherous, dishonorable p'taks. There is no doubt of that. But   
that doesn't matter. We must fight no matter what way we go, and it is not the   
Klingon way, but we will choose the weaker opponent and attack them." Many   
looked uneasy at this choice; the Klingon way was to attack the fiercest foe   
head on, not attack the weaker foe and run.  
  
"My Lord, I have new sensor data incoming. We detect two Heavy Cruisers,   
three Light Cruisers, three destroyers and six Frigates." As his lord and the   
commander of the Klingon fleet considered this information the warrior studied   
his screen intently. "The first Heavy Cruiser is Belknap class," he spoke the   
odd sounding human word, "the second is Constitution class." He paused again as   
the data continued to flow in from his probes. He spoke again, this time almost   
growling, "The Constitution class ship is the Enterprise." The name hung in the   
air for a few seconds as all considered this sudden development, and what it   
meant.  
  
A low rumbling growl started to fill the bridge. Krunj spoke the thought   
on everyone's mind, a single word only. "Kirk."  
  
  
  
"Captain," the young JG called from her spot at communications. "Update   
from Captain Spock. He should arrive in two hours time." The arrival of Spock   
would bring Kirk's Task Force up to full strength. In addition to his personal   
command, the Constellation class starship Newton, Spock was also bringing three   
Soyuz class Heavy Destroyers. "Acknowledge message receipt and append a copy of   
the latest status report." Kirk had walked on to the bridge ten minutes ago and   
was sitting in his command chair.  
  
This was supposed to be his sleep shift. But some instinct had woken him   
up. In his years as a starship captain he'd learned that listening to your   
instincts was one of the most important traits a captain could have. He couldn't   
count how many times they'd saved his life and the life of his crew.  
  
And right now those same instincts were telling him something was about to   
happen. He knew, by some unknown method, that something was going to happen,   
something bad, and it was going to be soon.  
  
"Lieutenant Charmichel, order all ships to increase readiness to level   
three." Each ship would now begin preparing for combat. The command crews and   
all department heads would be woken. Offensive systems would be primed for   
activation and all passive defense systems would be engaged.  
  
If a level two was ordered offensive systems would be armed and all   
defensive systems would be up at full power. The full crew would be ordered to   
battle stations and would be ready for war. Level one is weapons free, all   
systems to maximum and any unknown or enemy targets may be engaged within the   
Rules of Engagement.  
  
Charmichel transmitted the necessary orders to the Constantinople and   
Hibernia who then transferred the necessary orders to the ships of Squadrons Two   
and Three. She also sent the same orders to the ships of Squadron One.  
  
Lisa Charmichel couldn't wait for Captain Spock to arrive. Once he arrived   
he and his ship would take over the responsibilities of commanding Squadron One.   
That would greatly decrease her workload, and she couldn't help thinking that   
that was always a good thing.  
  
Lisa had only been stationed on the enterprise for a few weeks before they   
shipped out for the Romulan border. She'd never served with Captain Kirk, or on   
a starship for that matter, before. Her last assignment had been to Starbase 28   
as a Junior Communications Technician; it had also been her first assignment.  
  
The smallish blonde didn't know why Captain Kirk had suddenly decided to   
walk onto the bridge in the middle of his sleep period and order the task force   
to prepare for battle. The odd thing was she didn't even question it in the   
slightest. She'd grown up on the latest tales of Captain Kirk's newest exploit;   
she'd just started attending the academy when he saved Earth from the mysterious   
alien probe.  
  
With a few more switches thrown she began to wake the Enterprise's senior   
officers. By the time she'd notified the final department head, Commander Uhura   
had reached the bridge. With a smooth nod Charmichel slid out of the chair and   
moved to the secondary Communication console to the side.  
  
The rest of the bridge command staff had already arrived and Captain Scott   
had signaled Captain Kirk that he was ready in engineering. All departments had   
signaled that they were now at a level three readiness.  
  
Whitehall spoke first. "Captain, I'm detecting something on long range   
sensors. Energy signature indeterminate, but the bearing is in the direction of   
the former Klingon Empire."  
  
Kirk reacted instantly, almost like he'd known Whitehall was going to say   
that. "Ready a probe. I want that contact firmed up and positively identified.   
We can't afford any kind of mistakes."  
  
The atmosphere on the bridge was tense as the probe sped outwards. Little   
was said beyond what was necessary to accomplish their duties. Then, "Incoming   
data feed from the probe." A pause as he studied the data. "It's a small Klingon   
Fleet. Several cruisers and multiple Birds of Prey."  
  
"On screen." The incoming data feed was now displayed on the main view   
screen. "Overlay astrogational data." A starchart was then placed over the probe   
data. "Now project current course of targets."  
  
They were headed straight for them. "Commander Whitehall, speed of Klingon   
formation and estimated time of arrival?"  
  
"Speed is a steady warp six. ETA is thirty five minutes." Too soon; they'd   
have to do it without Spock and his reinforcements.  
  
Kirk began to bark out a rapid-fire stream of orders. "Commander   
Whitehall, transfer full probe date to all ships. Commander Uhura, order the   
Task Force to level two readiness."  
  
He then hit a switch on his command chair. Standard lighting throughout   
the ship was turned off and was replaced by overhead red lights and flashing red   
lights on the bulkheads. "Red Alert. All Hands to Battle stations. Red Alert."  
  
  
Gunnery Sergeant Rob Wilson woke when the first klaxon began to ring. By   
the time Kirk had finished speaking he was dressed and heading out the door.  
  
At a fast jog he reached the armory. As his marines came running, each   
grabbed a helmet and body armor and were also handled a phaser pistol and phaser   
carbine.  
  
"Move it, Corporal! Get your ass in gear and get your squad down to   
engineering. Move it people!" Wilson continued to yell invectives at his marines   
as they arrived. They'd run in, throw the armor on over duty uniforms and grab   
their weapons.  
  
Then he'd see them disappear out the door into the rush of sailors going   
to their battle stations. Once everyone was armed and had reported ready he took   
off at a steady jog for Damage Control Three, which was now being used as   
command post by Colonel Mitchell and his staff.  
  
"Sir, all marines are armed and ready." Wilson then stepped up and studied   
the various displays; they showed a complete schematic of the Enterprise and had   
the location of each marine squad superimposed over the display.  
  
"What's with the alert, sir?" he asked Colonel Mitchell.  
  
"Kirk ordered a level three alert about twenty minutes ago. I considered   
waking you, but I didn't see any reason for a level three readiness state, so I   
let you sleep." His expression altered a little bit. "I should have known better   
then to second-guess Kirk. He launched a probe that detected an incoming Klingon   
Fleet. That's when he ordered Red Alert."  
  
"Klingons. We should order the men to be alert for that. Klingons are   
vicious in close quarters combat." In his younger days Wilson had spent his time   
serving on a customs cutter guarding the Klingon border; several times he'd been   
forced to fight Klingons hand-to-hand. It wasn't something he remembered fondly.  
  
"Private Smith, alert all guard teams to be prepared for attempted   
boarding operations by Klingons." Wilson, Mitchell and Rathel then began a   
discussion of the best way to counter any boarding attempts by Klingon ships.  
  
  
  
"Captain. All departments report ready; the ship is at battle stations."   
That was Commander Uhura speaking. The bridge was fully manned and a squad of   
marines had taken position in strategic spots.  
  
Lieutenant Charmichel spoke next. "All ships Squadron One report ready in   
all respects. Commanders Squadrons two and three also report ready in all   
respects."  
  
Now it was Kirk's turn. "Plot intercept course with Klingon force. Make   
sure we stay on our side of the border."  
  
Lieutenant Clerrette had been ready for that command. He only needed to   
insert a few variables and he was done. "Course plotted. Ready to engage on your   
signal."  
  
"Commander Uhura, transfer the plot to all vessels." Uhura could be seen   
pressing several buttons in sequence and then speaking a few words into her   
microphone.  
  
"Plot transferred and delivery confirmed. All ships report ready on your   
mark."  
  
"Set course. Warp five."  
  
"Aye Sir." Enterprise and her sister ships of Task Force Twenty-Two moved   
almost as one as they went to warp, moving at speeds Einstein had said were   
impossible only a couple centuries ago. They sped out of the barren star system   
and into deep space.   



	6. Thunder and Lightning

The Long War  
Chapter Five: Thunder and Lightning  
  
  
USS Hibernia led the way. Task Force Twenty-Two was sitting in front of a small fleet of Klingon ships, ten K'T'Inga class Battlecruisers and a dozen B'Rel Birds of Prey. Hibernia was positioned directly in front of a pair of Battlecruisers.  
  
"Commander Dalton, have all available phaser batteries target the Klingon ship to our port side. Lock Torpedoes onto the starboard target. Do not fire until you receive a direct order." Lowe was usually a fairly casual commander, but as soon as a target entered his sights all other priorities were relegated to the back of his mind and he demanded strict military protocol.  
  
Once, some of his men might have complained, but not now. They'd served with him too long and seen him save them once too often to ever question him. "Now what the devil is Kirk up to?" Lowe muttered silently.  
  
"Klingon Commander. You have entered space belonging to the United Federation of Planets. Withdraw immediately to your side of the border or we may have to remove you. Forcibly." He knew he shouldn't have added the threat to the end of that statement, but James Kirk had trouble being civil to Klingons.  
  
In truth, he wanted to do nothing except blast them out of the stars and be done with them. A Klingon had murdered his son and he would never forgive them for it. David hadn't even been a warrior; he'd been a scientist, murdered because a Klingon had wanted to make a point. The Klingon leader replied instantly, his image appearing on the main view screen. "I am Commander Krunj. You cannot dictate where I go or where my ships go. Move aside; I have no quarrel with you at this time. But if you impede us on our way through this area of space, we will destroy you."  
  
Krunj cut off the transmission and his ships moved forward. Kirk had no choice. "Task Force order, all ships open fire. Weapons free."  
  
Hibernia leapt into the fight. Her two forward torpedo launchers fed a stream of projectile into a battlecruiser. The destroyer Falcon joined in with a stream of rapid phaser pulses and a burst of torpedos. The frigate Woden joined them in pounding the beleaguered Battlecruiser.  
  
It exploded in a spectacular boil of light. Hibernia's phasers continued pounding a second Battlecruiser as she tried to bring her torpedo launchers to bear. The Klingons were now irrevocably in the fight. Three Birds of Prey strafed the small cruiser and the Battlecruiser brought its massive forward armaments to bear.  
  
Kirk saw Hibernia and two other ships attacking a Battlecruiser. It exploded, a good omen; the first kill belonged to Starfleet. He ordered Enterprise to engage a flight of Birds of Prey.  
  
Individually the small ships couldn't stand up to the famed Heavy Cruiser. Together they dodged torpedos and shot stuttering pulses of disruptor energy into the shields.  
  
As the Enterprise rocked from another volley of hits, Kirk ordered, "When they come around for another pass, have all phaser batteries target the lead ship. Destroy it if you can, but at the least make sure they know they've been hit."  
  
From tactical Gu've'yi responded, "Aye sir. All dorsal phaser batteries are standing by. Ventral batteries are on incident fire." Those three short sentences conveyed an entire wealth of information if you understood the dialect.  
  
The Birds of Prey had been very careful to stay away from the forward torpedo launcher, which meant they'd been concentrating on the dorsal, or top, surface where the armament was lighter. Gu've'yi's tactical station was fully capable of controlling every weapon mounted on the Enterprise, but in heavy large scale combat like this there was too much for one person to handle.  
  
In this situation a team of gunners in several control rooms controlled each phaser battery while the tactical officer co-ordinated phaser fire and managed shield settings. Torpedo control was dependent on the ship; some ships transferred torpedo control to the helm, some ships left torpedo controls to the tactical officer, and other ships, like Enterprise had torpedo control routed to the First Officer's station.  
  
Gu've'yi had overridden the dorsal phaser batteries and placed them under his direct control. As the three Birds of Prey moved in for another strafing run he hit a large red button. All three batteries opened up with a stream of full power phaser blasts.  
  
The leading Bird of Prey shuddered as the first phaser blast hit. Then more followed, a virtual torrent of phaser energy pounded the small ship. Its shields flickered, then failed. They were never designed for that kind of punishment. The Klingon frigate's life ended in a spectacular explosion as it released its complement of antimatter in an uncontrolled reaction that vaporized   
whatever wreckage remained.  
  
"Good work. Keep hitting them; the rest won't be as easy, but take them out as fast as you can." Enterprise shuddered once gain as the pair of Birds of Prey strafed once again. This time they dodged nimbly and were careful not to get caught in the deadly crossfire like their sister ships had. They took hits, but nothing like the torrent that had killed the first ship.  
  
Captain Randall of the USS Constantinople was in a rather tight spot. He was trying to fight it out with a quartet of Klingon Battlecruisers while a pair of Birds of Prey harassed the Heavy Cruiser as best they could.  
  
He glanced at the tactical display on the main viewer. So far Task Force Twenty-Two was doing very well. Somehow Enterprise seemed to be getting off lightly.  
  
The same was not true of his ship. The Belknap class vessel shuddered as another concentrated volley hit home. "Maintain fire. Maximum rate Torpedo launch on the starboardmost Battlecruiser." Randall's voice sounded almost like an automaton. People reacted to combat in different ways; some grew excited and flamboyant, while others, such as Randall, became calmer, almost withdrawn, as it got more violent.  
  
"Transfer fire to the portmost Battlecruiser." The first Battlecruiser they'd been hitting had fallen back with it's main reactor knocked out. Not a kill, but a mission kill was sufficient for Task Force Twenty Two's Second Squadron and its flagship the Constantinople.  
  
"Order Antares to sweep under us and strike our target." His communications officer reacted swiftly.  
  
"Aye sir. Antares acknowledges the order and is moving to comply." The lithe Siva class Frigate USS Antares moved with admirable grace as it flashed by a pair of Battlecruiser and then swept up from under the Constantinople to hit the Battlecruiser in its belly.  
  
The concentrated phaser and torpedo strike to its ventral surface combined with the pounding being delivered by Constantinople was too much. The shields flickered and died. The last Torpedo fired by the Antares struck directly onto the hull and it's detonation sent the Battlecruiser reeling off right into its sister ship. The two detonated in a nova-like flash that shook the Antares and weakened its shields.  
  
The Antares Captain moved to open a channel to congratulate Captain Randall when it happened. The last remaining Battlecruiser fired a full salvo of Torpedoes and Disruptor bolts. Constantinople's shields took the blast full on, and then they flickered. Only for a second, but it was enough. A Bird of Prey fired a full disrupter volley straight into the Bridge dome.  
  
With a massive flash, the dome exploded. For a handful of seconds she listed uncontrollably before the secondary command center was able to bring the ship under control. While this was going on the Antares had whipped about and poured phaser fire into the Bird of Prey. The small ship disintegrated as Antares sent a single Photon Torpedo straight down its throat.  
  
"Constantinople's been hit hard. They took a direct hit to the bridge, no survivors. The third officer has taken command from the Emergency Control Center."  
  
"Uhura, notify the Justininan that they are to assume command of the Second Squadron."  
  
"Understood." Commander Uhura then spoke to the officer at her side. "Notify Justinian of her new orders. I'll monitor Task Force transmissions."  
  
Lisa nodded and followed orders. "USS Justinian, this is USS Enterprise, orders from Task Force command..." This was her first time in combat, and so far Uhura thought young Charmichel was doing good. She was obviously tense, but you'd have to be insane not to be tense.  
  
USS Everest moved to the starboard side of USS Enterprise. The Avenger class Destroyer moved forward with its bigger sister and together they sent titanic amounts of energy into any ships that dared to cross their path. The start of the battle had shattered any formation as they moved to block the Klingons, but were once again beginning to take shape from the fluid chaos.  
  
Hibernia and Stargazer were herding a group of Battlecruisers as a Federation destroyer and a pair of Frigates were harassing several Bird of Preys.  
  
The Justinian and Antares had moved to flank the Constantinople while the Destroyer Tokyo and Frigate Canterbury attacked a pair of Battlecruiser and led them directly into the trap laid by the two cruisers and frigate. Together the second Squadron disabled both Battlecruisers. Though by this time Tokyo had lost warp drive and Justinian had lost both torpedo launchers, and Constantinople was barely operational.  
  
By some miracle, though, Task Force Twenty-Two had yet to have a ship destroyed, though the Destroyer USS Falcon was disabled and out of the fight and the rest of the ships had taken damage, some severe.  
  
However the Klingons had been hit much harder. The battle had been sharp and violent. Most of the Klingon ships were either destroyed or disabled, and most of the disabled ones were now beginning to self-destruct.  
  
Lowe watched as Enterprise dispatched the last Battlecruiser with a pair of Torpedoes. Now there was only a handful of Birds of Prey left. Most sane opponents would retreat, knowing victory was impossible, but no one had ever said Klingons were sane. One Bird of Prey locked Torpedoes and Disruptors on Hibernia and turned straight onto the Light Cruiser. "That crazy Klingon bastard's going to ram us. All weapons fire." Hibernia's lone functioning Torpedo launcher spat a stream of torpedoes that impacted on the small Bird of Prey.  
  
"It must have transferred full power to front shields." Dalton commented as the Bird of Prey continued advancing. Its shields were gone but it was still alive, which was a considerable miracle considering how much damage the little ship had just absorbed.  
  
"All phaser batteries, full spread." This did the trick; a brilliant red dart went straight to the gut of the small ship and it detonated in a massive cloud.  
  
Dalton studied the tactical display. "Captain, that was the last of them. We won."   



End file.
